Snowsports

Douche bags at ski hills aren't a new phenomenon. Whether it's the aggressive adrenalin junkies yelling at you from the lifts in hopes you'll fall in glorious YouTube-ranking fashion or the rich folks in $5,000 fur-lined one-piece ski suits, they're everywhere. Now there's a new kind of a Douchebag that is designed to actually make your ski day more fun. Douchebags in this case is simply a clever (it got your attention, didn't it?) name for a newly launched ski accessories company whose first product is a feature-filled ski bag that should make getting to and from the slopes - whether it be flying and shuttling to an exotic resort or just driving to your local hill - easier and more efficient. Read More

Danish based Big Architects has revealed plans to develop the Levi Resort in Lapland. Named the Koutalaki Ski Village, the futuristic development will sit on the mountain ridge of the Levi Ski center overlooking Sirkka village in the municipality of Kittila. The design seeks to create a new hybrid resort which integrates the village with roof top skiing from a man-made "peak." Read More

Shooting video while you're riding a motorcycle, steering a jet ski, or skiing down the slopes of your favorite mountain isn't exactly easy, especially if you're trying to shoot that video with your smartphone. Optrix is aiming to make that process a little simpler by creating the Optrix HD, a rugged water-proof case for the iPhone and iPod touch that can be mounted on your helmet, bike, or anything else to shoot video while you're literally on the move. Read More

Sweden's CF Møller Architects has just signed off on the new and spectacular Skipark 360°- set to be the largest indoor ski resort in the world. The winter park will house the only indoor ski slope to meet the requirements for hosting the World Cup, measuring 700 meters (2,297 feet) long and with a drop of 160 meters (525 feet). With an impressive height close to 135 meters (443 feet), the sporting facility will create a striking landmark, positioned in a forest located in Balsta, 45 minutes outside Stockholm. Read More

Dainese has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Ski Federation (FIS) to bring its D-Air wearable airbag technology to Alpine slopes. The project is currently in early stages of testing where the dynamics of ski racing are being investigated in order to tailor the existing motorcycle-specific technology to the needs of ski racers. Read More

One of the toughest jobs in cross-country skiing – apart from dragging yourself away from the log fire in the bar at the chalet – is adjusting ski bindings mid-journey. Riskprotect has designed bindings that automatically adjust to an incline or decline and remove the risk of skiers injuring themselves by attempting awkward maneuvers while off-piste. Read More

Google has ripped the camera rig off one of its Street View cars and slung it on a snowmobile to bring slope view to Google Maps. Now web skiers will be able to experience some of the runs the world’s best skiers will be racing down when the Winter Olympics kicks off this week. The slope-level imagery complements new aerial imagery of the Vancouver-Whistler area to give sports fans a different perspective of competition venues and courses. Read More

The result of a design collaboration between Bentley’s Styling Studio and the high-end Swiss ski manufacturer zai, only 250 numbered sets of these limited edition handmade black skis will be made. Zaiìra®, the novel composite material used in the skis, was originally created for use in the latest generation of aircraft. It contains carbon fibres that are used on the skis’ top layer, in combination with natural rubber in the central part, as well as a carbon fabric in composition with chrome steel in the torsion part and long carbon fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites (LFRTP). This combination of technology and performance give maximum performance with minimum weight as well as the ability to lie firmly and reliably in the snow, whatever its condition. Read More

Avalanche airbags, designed to prevent burial in an avalanche by providing extra buoyancy, aren’t new but until now skiers have had to activate the bag themselves. If they don’t realise in time they have set of an avalanche it may be too late for the airbag to be of use, resulting in burial and often, death. ABS has introduced a world-first - a remote, networked electronic system which allows airbag inflation to be triggered by other members of a skiing party, allowing them to help each other in an emergency. The new wireless system can be retrofitted to old-style backpacks with double airbags. Read More